I Need a Mechanic
My van shit the bed this morning, so if any of my Philadelphia readers can recommend a good mechanic in West Philly, I would really really appreciate it.
The enging cranks but doesn’t catch, which could be any number of problems. What I can tell you for certain is that over the past couple of weeks, the van has had trouble getting up to speed when entering the highway. In last week’s rainstorm, the engine refused to get out of firts gear, and groaned and shuddered as I tried to drive up my street. In the dry weather that followed it had no problem.
I’m wondering if this indicates the need for a basic tuneup (cables, spark plugs, distributor cap, etc.) or whether this indicates something more serious, like the timing belt. Feel free to offer advice in comments.
2 Responses to “I Need a Mechanic”
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October 5th, 2006 at 1:26 am
If it’s cranking, but not starting, it could be a number of things. Fouled spark plugs, clogged fuel filter.
If it’s cranking, but not really cranking and more “zzziiiiinnnng’ing” and not actually turning the engine, you could have a worn started, in which case it may be able to be rebuilt, but most likely you’d need a new one. The nice thing about that is you should (if I rememebr correctly) get a refund for the core.
As for sluggishness and poor performance as well as a lack of leaving 1st gear, I’d be checking your fuel filter (replacing, really - they’re relatively cheap) and checking your transmission fluid, which you should do once the engine is up to operating temp. If you’re low on fluid, it can affect the ability to shift or even operate the transmission at all.
October 5th, 2006 at 10:41 pm
Brendan- the sluggish when wet problem may be a cracked distributor cap (if your truck has one) or cracked spark plug wires.
I’m still something of a shadetree mechanic- if you need some troubleshooting help, drop me a line.